CN
III ARCHIVES
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
W
hen is a race more than
just a race? When does it
become a happening? When all
the elements of great riders, trick
machines, and a grand venue
come together into one excellent
package. Probably no race in
history exemplified a "happen-
ing" more than the 1983 Houston
TT, aka The Thunder Under the
Dome.
What were the ingredients
that made the '83 Houston TT
such a must-see national? First
and foremost was rider talent in
boatloads. How does this lineup
sound? Three-time Motorcycle
Grand Prix World Champion
P122
THE HAPPENING
IN HOUSTON
chines. There was more variety
in this race than any other AMA
National. Ranging in size from a
big 750cc twin-cylinder, 500cc
singles, two-stroke and four, all
the way down to 350cc two-
stroke singles. There were trick,
factory one-offs made especially
for this race. Roberts and Law-
son raced Yamaha XT500-based
machines, breathed on heavily by
the factory. Wise was on a works
Honda CR500-based two-stroke
beast. Eklund was on a powerful
500cc Rotax-powered Can-Am.
In spite of the tight environs, Gra-
ham and Springsteen raced their
big Harley-Davidson XR750s.
Kenny Roberts; 1982 AMA Su-
perbike Champion Eddie Lawson
(who was about to join the GP
series as Roberts' teammate on
the factory Yamaha squad); and
1982 AMA Pro Athlete of the Year
Steve Wise, the motocross ace
from Texas who had won two
straight in the high-profile ABC
Wide World of Sports Superbik-
ers event. Combine that with a
slew of stars from the AMA Grand
National Championship like Jay
Springsteen, Bubba Shobert,
Ricky Graham, Scott Parker,
Steve Eklund, Terry Poovey and
Randy Goss, just to name a few.
And then there were the ma-
(Above) Cycle News cover
featuring Houston TT winner
Steve Eklund. (Left) Steve
Eklund (8) overcame a first-lap
crash to win the 1983 Houston
TT National aboard a Rotax-
powered Can-Am.
PHOTO: GARY VAN VOORHIS
